Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 10/01/2003

Missing Since:

Missing Since 10/01/2003

Missing From:

Missing From Eastlake, Ohio

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Male

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 07/04/1971 (53)

Age:

Age 32 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’5, 160 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly blue jeans, a t-shirt and a gray pullover sweatshirt.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Vannatter’s nickname is Eddie.

Details of Disappearance:

In October 2003, Robert Vannatter disappeared. He lived with his roommate, John Caputo, in Eastlake, Ohio. The last time anyone saw Vannatter, he was leaving home with a man named Mark (last name unknown) after a small fight. They had been using drugs.

Because Vannatter had a history of disappearing for short periods due to drug use, his family wasn’t worried at first. But when he didn’t contact them for Thanksgiving, they reported him missing. His mom said it was unlike him to run off with a stranger.

Caputo acted suspiciously. He quickly got rid of all of Vannatter’s belongings, claiming he was angry. Police think Caputo knows more than he’s saying. In 2012, Caputo called Vannatter’s mom, saying he was going to kill himself and insisted he had nothing to do with Vannatter’s disappearance. He didn’t kill himself, but was arrested for bank robbery shortly after. Caputo has a long criminal history, including violent crimes. He also told his ex-wife he’d committed an unpunishable crime around the time Vannatter vanished and mentioned West Virginia as a good place to hide a body. He even tried, unsuccessfully, to make a deal with police to reveal Vannatter’s location.

Vannatter’s family remembers him as a kind person, and police suspect foul play was involved in his disappearance. The case remains unsolved.

Agency:

Lake County Sheriff’s Office

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